A Merseyside goalkeeper has thanked his football team for “changing” his life.
Ian Delaney, a 29-year-old from St Helens, fell into Merseyside’s LGBTQ+ inclusive football team, Mersey Marauders by a “brilliant accident”. The physics teacher had just gone through a breakup and felt as if he had no friends who could relate to the LGBTQ+ experience.
Wanting to put himself out there after a low period in his life, the former University of Liverpool student got back into a sport he loved playing growing up.
READ MORE: Footballer 'wished' he hadn't let sexuality hold him back for so long
The theoretical physics graduate told the ECHO: “My relationship ended the week before the summer holidays and I had this six-week period where I couldn’t even distract myself with work so it was very random and very lucky how I joined the team but they have changed my life.
“I never knew many gay people and it is only in the last six months that I could name more than five gay people who I know personally as friends. The experience of joining was very surreal - from knowing barely any gay people to being on the pitch with 22 of them was a different experience for me but I have never looked back.”
Ian’s love of sports started to grow when he was a pupil at Rainford High School, St Helens. During his secondary school years, he would attend Everton matches with his dad but watching wasn’t enough for him - he wanted to be on the pitch.
Despite playing at different levels for different teams throughout the years - one thing that remained consistent was that Ian was “never open” about his sexuality.
He said: “My decision not to come out was more to do with social reasons rather than sport. Back in those days, 15 years ago, there were a lot more negative gay slurs used by students against others. I heard a lot of unpleasant comments but because they were never directed at me, I decided to keep my head down and sit quickly. I just had to let things wash past.”
Comparing that to where Ian is now - an out and proud goalkeeper for Mersey Marauders - is miles apart. The Evertonian joined the team last August after a six-month relationship ended abruptly and he was left questioning what other LGBTQ+ friends he could turn to.
Not only did the team help Ian change his outlook on life but it also exposed him to a wide range of sexualities - something which he was sheltered from before for the better part of 28 years.
He added: “All of a sudden I was immersed with all these friends who had similar but yet different stories to me either about being gay or playing sports. Seeing how varied sexuality and people’s individual experience is was surreal for me. I can’t believe I didn’t join a team like this years ago.”
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Ian shared his story in light of Football v Homophobia Month of Action coming to an end. The campaign exists to challenge discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression at all levels in football.
As an international initiative, FvH engages in campaigning, education, advice and guidance, research, policy consultation and capacity building to make existing football structures safe, welcoming and inclusive for LGBTQIA+ people. It hopes to create opportunities and promote the engagement of the community in football at all levels and in all forms.
Explaining how important the campaign’s work is, Ian added: “I never realised how much homophobia and people’s attitudes impacted people going into sports. I chose to keep really quiet about my sexuality but for some people, it’s put them off the idea of playing sports altogether. It’s such a shame people don’t pursue sports because of their sexuality sometimes.”
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